CHAMPAGNE COLUMN: Lessons from 2013 Kentucky Derby

Another Kentucky Derby has come and gone, and as our gazes turn to Pimlico and the Preakness on May 18, it's time to reflect on what we learned on a soggy Saturday afternoon in Louisville.

- If Joel Rosario is riding a mule and every other jockey around is riding a thoroughbred, don't bet against the mule. That's how good Rosario has been this year in a torrid stretch that's also included a win in the Dubai World Cup on Animal Kingdom and a new single-season record for victories at Keeneland.

- Quality reigns supreme over quantity, as it always has. Of Todd Pletcher's five Derby entrants, only one, Revolutionary, finished better than ninth. Meanwhile, Orb, the first Derby contender from Shug McGaughey's barn since Saarland in 2002, gave the 62-year-old Hall of Famer his first win in the Run for the Roses.

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- One of the beliefs of most handicappers (self included) was that the new Derby points system would normalize the early pace scenario a bit. We were wrong. Palace Malice went all-out early, drilling the opening six furlongs in 1:09 and change and denying the other speed horses (namely Goldencents) of a chance at optimal positioning.

- Rosie Napravnik piloted Mylute to a fifth-place finish after guiding him out of some early trouble in a race where that can be very difficult to do. She'll get her Derby win someday, and hopefully at that point, we can start recognizing her as a fantastic jockey instead of a fantastic female jockey (after Julie Krone, how is it news that women can ride with their male counterparts successfully?).

- Golden Soul up for second? Really? Count yours truly among the large group who ripped up exotics tickets when the Dallas Stewart trainee weaved his way through the stretch to a second-place finish. In doing so, he defied his below-average wet track Tomlinson rating (316) and crashed the exacta at huge odds.

- At 50 years old, Gary Stevens proved he could still ride in the biggest races. Breaking from a dreaded inside post aboard Oxbow, the three-time Derby winner had his mount in a stalking position down the backstretch. Unfortunately, the early pace was probably too fast, and the pair had to settle for sixth. Still, at odds of well over 20-1, this was far from a bad effort.

- Normandy Invasion turned for home looking like a winner, which would have meant one heck of a party in upstate New York for fans of Mechanicville native Chad Brown, his trainer. His move proved to be a bit early, as he didn't have much left when Orb kicked home, but make no mistake, Chad Brown has a high-quality 3-year-old on his hands.

- The Florida Derby has been the top prep race for the Kentucky Derby over the last eight years. Winners of the Gulfstream Park race have now won the Derby three times since 2005 (Barbaro, Big Brown, and Orb).

- Meanwhile, the Toyota Blue Grass drought continues. Second-place finisher Palace Malice faded to 12th after setting the early pace, and winner Java's War was a non-factor, finishing 13th. Keeneland's flagship prep race has not produced a Kentucky Derby winner since Strike the Gold in 1991.

- Lines of Battle shipped in from Europe to run seventh. In doing so, he was the top finisher among horses whose experience primarily came on synthetic or turf surfaces. It's time those organizing the Road to the Derby points system recognize that all-surface horses like Animal Kingdom and Wise Dan are the exception, not the rule. Unless the Derby ever gets moved to a synthetic surface, those prep races cannot be given equal weight to those on conventional dirt.

- Triple Crown good news: Orb's pedigree traces back to 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, and both of his grandsires (A.P. Indy and Unbridled) won Triple Crown races.

- Triple Crown bad news: Shug McGaughey exorcised one set of demons Saturday in Louisville, but he's got more waiting for him in Baltimore. The Hall of Fame horseman hasn't saddled a Preakness starter since Easy Goer lost the head-bob to Sunday Silence in 1989.

- But hey, Shug and his prized colt already bucked one trend. Who's to say it can't happen again in two weeks?

Andrew Champagne is a sportswriter for The Saratogian. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewChampagne and email him at achampagne@saratogian.com.